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Oil thieves are now using children, women as shields during illegal refining operations – Gov Diri
Speaking on Tuesday, December 24, during a meeting with first-class traditional rulers and local government chairmen at the Government House in Yenagoa, he disclosed that security operatives uncovered this practice during reconnaissance missions.
Diri urged traditional rulers to educate their communities on the harmful effects of illegal refining on both human health and the environment.
“The report I received recently is that at illegal bunkering sites, they now have children and women, which is a dimension I have never heard before,” the governor said.
“Sometimes, when the military are authorised to destroy those camps and they get there on reconnaissance, they discover that children and women are used to shield those places. So, we all have to work together in our domains to educate our people.
“There was a situation where the military moved in and discovered that children and women were there and had to withdraw.”
Governor Douye Diri called on monarchs and council chairmen to take proactive measures to combat the issue of oil bunkering, which has been prevalent in areas such as Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Brass, and Nembe.
He urged them to report bunkering sites within their jurisdictions directly to him, emphasizing that the problem can only be effectively tackled through collective efforts and collaboration.
